Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1887-11-17

builder, who was pumping water at q
fountain. The master builder looked
up surprised, caught hold Ofchoquart
BY the scruff of his neck. doubled him
up. put him under the pump and
soused him like dead rat.
/ The story of ChOquart's adventures
would f.l volume. but will relate
only one. wherein acted 6 his Sc
cond.
One night, at masked ball. Cho.
quart quarreled with q Turk. Cards
were exchanged. The following day
Choquart, with his two seconds, went
to his adversary's house. The Turk
Of the previous eysnisg trfussi out TO
be q we'll to do upholstsrer. who car
ried on business in the Saint Martin
quarter. On entering the premises
Choquart inquired aftsl NJ. Ballu.
What can l do for you p asked a
young and pretty woman, who came
forward from the back of the shop.
STUFF and nonsensel | don't like
jobing in matters Of serious import
ance. NV name is Choquart. l come
fo= an affair of honor. A Gentleman
shouldn't be made to wait in this
manner. Your husband is an i'll
bred dog"
"Oh, excuse me, now I know what
brings you. This is what l have to
say. My husband went out yester.
day to spend the carnival, and it has
made him i'll. He is in bed, and spits
blood"
Dear me" remarked Choquart,
turning toward his seconds, what
mischance He spits blood, did you
say ?"
Alas yes, sir" answered the
young woman, who seemed much af-
fected. "and the doctor says that he
has not six months to live"
Dear me !! went on repeating
Choquart, "spits blood. How shall
We settle matters, then? Hasn't six
months to live. Well, madame, I'm
not bad fellow, whatever others may
think. Now listen to what have to
say. We are in January, aren't we ?
1nst co Well, I'll give your hus-
band six months to be buried in. |
shall call around and pay my resp cts
six months hence. If, in July next,
your husband isn't dead and buried,
I'll treat him as knave and deceiver,
and placard his name in all the bar
racks Of Paris"
This threat, which constantly fell
from Choquart's lips, was a reminis-
cencs of his soldier life. The thought
never suggested itself that an up
holsterer might not care the jingle of
brass fsrthing whether his name
were placarded or not in all the bar
racks OF the country.
One fine afternoon in July of that
same year, Choquart took hold Of my
arm at the Varieties coffee house, and
said
Come along with me, old boy; |
have a small matter which ! really
must clear up without further loss Of
time"
We took a road which led toward
the Saint Martin quarter, and, as we
walked along. Choquart entered cir
cumstantially into the particulars of
the case. The upholsterer's day Of
reckoning had arrived. and Choquart
was bent on finding out whether his
former Turk had paid the funeral
draft indorsed six months previously
BY his wife.
"If," soliloquizsd Choquart, "the
rogue is still alive, I'll cut off both his
ears, you know. I'm justified in 60
doing. am not?"
"Of course you are, my dear fellow.
But, let me ask, the thing occurred
long ago, didn't it, and in the carni-
val season? And again, what did the
fellow do to warrant such feud ?"
"What did he do, ::the villain ?
Just listen and I'll tell you. l was
at a masked ball given at the Renais-
sance theatre. l walked into the
greenr1om in my dress suit. / sm
spare of limb. as you can see. Sud.
denly a Turk stopped directly in
front Of me and bawled out. Hal
loo. there goes the Fat OK Make
way, please, for the Fat oxr Every
body roared at this sally. was
downright vexed, as you may suppose.
80 | made up to him and said: Ny
merry friend, at nooa tomorrow you
shall be a dead man.
He was in the wrong. certainly.
pleaded, "to insinuate 50 invidious
a comparison between thin man like
Won and a fat or but"-